The Pharmaceutical Market: Iraq
OVERVIEW OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL MARKET IN IRAQ Years of underinvestment have taken their toll on the Iraqi healthcare market, as have international sanctions and deterioration of healthcare infrastructure due to war. Still an unpopular figure on the international market, Iraq\'s trade partners are few and far between - although Iraq does have a strong bargaining chip: its oil resources. Healthcare facilities are gradually improving, with plans for new hospitals such as two specialist hospitals planned in partnership with Iran\'sRed Crescent organisation. But access to funding is limited, import and exports are restricted, and the country has a severe shortage of trained medical professionals. As such, it is of little surprise that there are few distinctions in the market between OTC and prescription drugs, and counterfeit medicines are rife. Headline Expenditure Projections Pharmaceuticals : IQD1,239bn (US$1.06mn) in 2011 to IQD1,476bn (US$1.26bn) in 2012; +